John Trapp on Esther 3:2

Verſe 2. And all the Kings ſervants] His Courtiers and others; not his menial ſervants only.

That were in the Kings gate] Where the Courtiers uſed to walk, that they night be at a call: and where others attended, that had buſineſſe at the Court.

Bowed and reverenced Haman] Not with ſo much readineſſe and diligence, as impudence and baſeneſſe: for ſhould men bow to a molten calfe, becauſe made up of golden eare-rings? Many of theſe cringing Courtiers could not but hate Haman in their hearts, and were as ready to wiſh him hang'd, and to tell the King ſhortly after where he might have a fit gallowes for him. So Sejanus his greateſt friends, who had deified him before, when once he fell out of the Emperours favour, ſhewed themſelves moſt paſſionate againſt him, ſaying, that if Caeſar had clemency, he ought to reſerve it for men, not uſe it toward monſters.

For the King had ſo commanded concerning him] And if the King had commanded theſe ſervile foules to worſhip a dog or a cat, as the Egyptians did a golden image, as Nebuchadnezzars ſubjects did; to turne the glory of the incorruptible God into the ſimilitude of a corruptible man, of foure-footed beaſts or creeping things, as Rom. 1.23. they would have done it. Moſt people are of King Harry's religion, as the proverb is, reſolving to do as the moſt do, though thereby they be undone for ever. This is to be worſe then ſome Heathens. See the note on Acts 4.10. But why ſhould Ahaſhuerus be ſo haſty to heap ſuch honours upon ſo worthleſſe and wicked a perſon, but that he had a minde to proclaime his own folly to all his Kingdome?

But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence] He did not, he durſt not, though preſſed and urged to it with greateſt importunity. And why? not becauſe Haman wore a picture openly in his boſome, as the Chaldee Paraphraſt and Aben Ezra give the reaſon, Nor meerly (if at all, which ſome doubt of) becauſe he was a curſed Amalekite; But becauſe the Perſian Kings required, that themſelves and their chief Favourites (ſuch as proud Haman was,) ſhould be reverenced with a kinde of divine honour,Herod. l 1. Valer. l. 7 c. 3. Curt. l 3. & 5. more then was due to any man. This the Jewes were flatly forbidden by their Law to do. The Lacedemonians alſo were reſolute againſt it, as Herodotus in his ſeventh book relateth. Pelopidas the Thebane would not be drawn to worſhip the Perſian Monarch in this ſort.Plut. in Artax. Juſtin. l 6. Val. l. 6. c. 33. No more would Conon the Athenian General. And when Timagoras did, the Athenians condemned him to die for it. It was not therefore pride or ſelf-willedneſſe that made Mordecai ſo ſtiffe in the hams that he would not bend to Haman; but feare of ſinne,Nihil praeter peccatum timeo. Baſil. and conſcience of duty. He knew, that he had better offend all the world, then God and his own conſcience.